Rhaphiolepis bibas
Common name
loquat
Synonyms
Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl.
Family
Rosaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
ERIJAP
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Features
Tree up to 8m high when mature; trunk well developed; primary stems erect; secondary stems spreading; young stems stout, white-tomentose; older stems with prominent leaf scars, becoming greyish-brown and transversely calloused. Leaves near branch tips; petiole about 15mm long, stout; blade oblanceolate to narrowly elliptic, 150~350 x 75~100mm, acute, tapering to cuneate or slightly auriculate base, very coriaceous, generally rugose, dark green and glossy above, thinly grey- or brown- tomentose below (very young leaves completely brown-tomentose), serrate at least in upper half; stipules long-triangular, generally attenuate, pilose. Infl. of many flowers; pedicels 5~8mm long, brownish tomentose. Sepals fused for most of length; lobes 2~4mm long, brown-tomentose. Petals white or ivory, oblong, around 7~8 x 3~4mm, shallowly emarginate. Fruit pyriform to broadly ellipsoid-oblong or subglobose, up to 50 x 35mm; skin yellow, around tomentose; flesh sweet. (- Webb et.al., 1988)
Similar taxa
Tree up to 8m high, leaves near branch tips. stout leaes, oval and up to 400 mm long, crinkled and dark, glossy green above with a thin grey to brown mat of soft hairs below. Flowers April-August-November. Edible fruits 50x 35 mm, hairy, yellow, drop-oval shaped, October-December.
Flowering
April, May June, July, August, September, October, November.
Flower colours
White
Fruiting
October-December.
Life cycle
Perennial. Loquat is known to be eaten by pigeons and may be spread into light forest by this vector.
Year naturalised
1982
Origin
China, Japan
Reason for introduction
Agricultural